Bondi Rescue: Heroes
by Arweyn
Summary: It's so hot that standing in the sand for too long causes blisters. Featuring Deano H/C and awesome Hoppo and Whippet to the rescue. No slash.
1. Chaos

Disclaimer: PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! Okay, so I have had very mixed feelings when I was writing this. I usually write loads of fanfiction but these characters are fictional and therefor not real. These people are real; they have their own lives, own families, and own thoughts. In a way it felt strange to write this fic since it felt as if I was doing something wrong. 

The events that are depicted in this story are completely made-up and I don't wish for any of them to happen in real life. These brave men risk their own lives day-in, day-out. I have the greatest respect for the things they do. After finishing this series I felt even more appreciation and respect for all lifeguards, paramedics, police, fire-fighters, nurses…  
So, when reading this, take things lightly. I am only using the names of the awesome lifeguards. The rest is completely made-up.  
If someone requests me to take this down because it is not right, I will gladly do so. Trust me. I don't wish any harm to befall these guys. At all.  
Furthermore, I don't know any of these people personal nor am I affiliated with the showmakers/producers/whatnot…

Also, I have never been in Australia nor am I a native English speaker. At school we were taught British English so forgive me if the Australian slang is way off or resembles too much of the British English.

By the way, I have no clue how the posting of the lifeguards works. I don't know if extra precautions are taken when there are special circumstances like heat waves and stuff. The carrousel is something I came up with because it seemed plausible and because it helped write this story.

Starring in this fic, in alphabetical order:

\- Andrew "Reidy" Reid

\- Anthony "Harries" Carroll

\- Bobby "Yak" Yaldwyn

\- Bruce "Hoppo" Hopkins

\- Chris "Chappo" Chapman

\- Dean "Deano" Gladstone

\- Kris "Yatesy" Yates

\- Rod "Kerrbox" Kerr

\- Ryan "Whippet" Clark

\- Tom "Tommy/Egg" Bunting

\- Trent "Maxi" Maxwell

\- Troy "Gonzo" Quinlan

This is set pretty early on in the series, probably around season 3 or 4.

* * *

It was hot. No scratch that, it was sweltering, absolutely boiling and they were all feeling it. Seeking refuge from the scorching sun, thousands of tourists and locals headed down to the beach to douse themselves in the lukewarm ocean water. To get there, they first had to cross a good two kilometres of burning hot sand. There were those who downright sprinted over the sand, making the pain as short as possible. Others decided to put their footwear back on and make sure the sand didn't hit a bare patch of skin. It was just eleven a.m. and the mercury had already risen to thirty-two degrees Celsius.

Before their shift had started at eight a.m., Hoppo had debriefed all of them about what they could expect today. But they all knew of course. Every day 'at the office' was a mixture of swimmers getting caught in the rip –despite danger signs-, youngsters getting scraped up from clambering onto flat rock, the odd dislocation and perhaps another unattended child searching for its family. The only major difference today was that heat stroke could be added to the already long list.

For this occasion, Hoppo had made sure that all fridges and freezers were filled with bottles of water and enough ice to fill a small inflatable swimming pool. Once everyone was reminded once more about the telltale signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, they were sent off to their posts.

To make sure that none of his lifeguards would overexert themselves, Hoppo had introduced a carrousel. This way, everyone could get shelter in the cool tower for at least two hours. It was one of the few things he could offer his team but everyone was grateful for the prospect of being able to cool down in the tower. The North of the beach was still shaded in some places and most people headed there to get away from the onslaught of the sun. Harries and Kerrbox were stationed there when the shift started. Deano and Whippet had first watch in the middle of the beach, between the flags, Reidy and Egg were stationed at the all famous Backpacker's rip in the South and both Hoppo and Yatesy began their watch in the tower.

They were busy all right. Because the beach was getting so crowded and everyone wanted to get a refreshing swim the lifeguards had their hands full with people who were stuck in the rip and way our of their depth. You could hardly call them swimmers because most of them couldn't even swim. It was more like doggy paddling and even then it was painful to watch.

Around noon things were beginning to heat up, literally. Reidy and Egg, who had moved from the South of the beach to the North-area, had to call the police at least twice because of hot-headed aggressors. Harries and Kerrbox were keeping a close eye on suspicious behaviour that could indicate heat stroke. Thus far already two victims had been brought to the tower to cool off. One of them was in such a bad shape, an ambulance had to be called. Hoppo had just saved another tourist out of Backpacker's rip and was about to head back to the blue Rhino when he saw Whippet dash towards the surf. A woman had collapsed.

Yatesy had seen it as well but they were unable to leave their post as more tourists were entering the dangerous current. One of the lifeguards would notify them when they needed assistance, Hoppo thought as he ran back to get the same bloke out of the rip again.

Deano and Whippet had been puffing in the scorching heat. They definitely had the worst post at the moment. Smack in the middle of the beach when the sun was at its highest, they were getting roasted in the black Rhino.

Whippet was grateful he had cut his hair just a few days ago. It definitely helped, if only just a bit. He had long abandoned his jumper and was about to rub some more sunscreen on his arms when Deano suddenly righted in his seat.

"You see that lady over there, mate?" the dark-haired man queried, narrowing his eyes behind his sunglasses.  
"The blonde chick?" Whippet looked around. There were lots of women at this part of the beach. It was kind of looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Nah, the red-haired one. She doesn't look so swell." His words only just left his lips when the young woman simply collapsed.  
"Fuck." Whippet cursed and sped out of the Rhino towards the woman. A crowd was already forming around her. With Deano hot on his heels they reached the woman in mere seconds.

Her face was red and sweat was pouring down her forehead. When Deano checked her vitals, she started to come around.  
"Hey sweetheart, let's get you out of the heat, okay?" Whippet smiled at her. The girl's lips trembled as she nodded. Whippet glanced at Deano, gauging whether she could be moved or not.

"Seems the sun has gotten to you. My name's Deano and this is my colleague Whippet. You will feel better when we cool you down a bit. Are you okay to stand up?"

An affirmative nod was given and with the help of the two lifeguards, she was guided to the Rhino. Deano, who was driving, heard Whippet ask the most important questions: the woman's name, age, what she was feeling etc. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and contacted the other lifeguards.

"Black Rhino to Tower, come in?"

A crackle. "This is Tower, go ahead Deano." Harries answered.

"Hey mate, we are coming to the tower with a girl who has become unwell. She's clearly got a heat stroke and passed out." Deano spoke.

"Sure mate, we can see you coming." Harries replied and there was another crackle of static.

The Black Rhino arrived at the tower and Deano got out, frowning when he felt himself stagger a bit. He thought nothing of it as he moved to the back where he helped Whippet getting the girl, Anne, up the stairs.

Going inside the tower was a relief. It definitely felt easier to breathe.

Kerrbox helped Whippet position the girl on the medical cot whilst Deano grabbed some premade ice bags. He placed them on Anne's forehead, armpits and groin.  
"Hey Anne, I think it is best to have you checked out at the hospital." He spoke. "Heat exhaustion is no laughing matter and considering you fainted, it would be a good idea to call an ambo."

The tourist from France looked at him. "Am I going to die?" she asked him with a quiver in her voice.

Whippet chuckled softly and rubbed her shoulder. "No, of course not. But they are just safety precautions. If you are going outside in the sun again it could deteriorate your condition."

"Okay. Can someone get my boyfriend? He went swimming and probably doesn't know what happened." She asked and accepted the glass of water Kerrbox gave her. "Just small sips will do. Otherwise you will upset your stomach." The lifeguard warned her.

"We'll head back to the beach and look for him. What's his name and what does he look like?" Whippet asked. Deano moved up the stairs to call an ambo.

Harries was looking through his binoculars, making sure no one was drowning at the Whippet's and Deano's post whilst they were here.  
"How's she doing, mate?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the beach.

"Yeah, she is okay now, but we agreed on calling an ambo to have her checked out. Passing out is never a good sign." Deano replied as he dialled the number for an ambo, ignoring the headache that was blooming behind his eyes.

Finding the boyfriend had been rather easy. In fact, when they moved back to their post, a man had ran up to them, asking in broken English if they had seen his girlfriend, Anne. After reassuring she was fine, Whippet directed the man towards the tower.

"I'm surprised there aren't more people getting a heat stroke in this bloody temperature." Whippet sighed, as he looked at all the beachgoers, baking in the sun.

"You have to be downright daft to come here and lay in the sun."

Deano chuckled. "Yeah, reckon!"

His dark brown curls were plastered against his head and he could feel the sweat dripping down his spine.

"Ah man, I forgot me bottle of water back in the tower." Whippet wailed as he looked around in the rhino, hoping he could spot the water bottle. "My mouth's as dry as a dead dingo's donger."

"Better go get it then before you become one yourself, mate." Deano laughed and got out of the Rhino. "I am going to ask those blokes over there to move a bit further up the beach if they want to keep playing with that ball."

"Right on, mate. I'll be right back." Whippet answered and quickly walked back to the tower, the prospects of cool water giving him an extra spring in his step. He arrived when the paramedics were transporting Anne out of the tower on a stretcher.  
"Get well soon." Whippet smiled and nodded at the boyfriend when he moved inside.

Both Kerrbox and Harries were back at their posts, answering phone calls and keeping an eye out. Harries was contacting Reidy about a child that seemed to be in trouble when Whippet grabbed a bottle of water and took large gulps. Grabbing a second bottle, he was about to leave when Harries cursed.

"Hey Whip, is Deano still at his post?" he asked. Whippet frowned.  
"Yeah, why?"

"There seems to be a bit of a brawl going on. You better hurry back and see what's going on." Harries answered but before he was even done talking, Whippet was already running down the stairs, towards his partner.

A large crowd had already formed and many were yelling. Knowing that trying to move past the wall of people by himself would be futile, Whippet got into the Rhino and moved towards the crowd. The beachgoers immediately stepped back, giving Whippet some space.

There were two blokes cornering Deano. One had Deano's shirt in his fist and had raised his other as a threat. Deano was doing his best to keep calm and talk to the man holding him but Whippet could tell that the man was too hot-headed to be calmed down.

He got out of the Rhino just when the enormous man took a swing at Deano. Not being able to move away, the fist collided with his jaw. Seeing stars, Deano let go of his hold on the man's other arm and grabbed his jaw. Through blurry vision he saw Whippet running towards him, speaking rapidly on the walkie, probably asking for backup.

The bloke who had hit him was undeterred by Whippet's presence and started spouting nonsense about freedom of speech and his right to be on this beach. Whippet, trying his best to calm the man down, hoped that backup would arrive soon. It was the telltale sound of another Rhino that notified him the cavalry had arrived.

Hoppo and Yatesy arrived on scene. The head lifeguard slowly walked towards the aggressor. "Hey mate, I have no clue what happened but how about we all settle down and have a chat?" he spoke. "It's bloody hot outside, causing us all to be a little short-tempered but let's just settle down, yeah?" he gently spoke. His blue eyes pierced into the bloke's, clearly indicating that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

The aggressor looked at his friend, who seemed to have gotten pretty uneasy with so many lifeguards and onlookers. "Let's just go, man. This shit ain't worth it." He stammered. "Look, it was just a stupid argument. Your pal here started bitching about us playing some soccer. We don't want any trouble." Hoppo looked at the aggressor's mate. Clearly one of them had some brain cells. Unfortunately for them, the police was already coming down to the beach. Despite of that, Hoppo had to make sure that the other man let go of Deano. He could see that a bruise was already forming on his lifeguard's jaw. His blood started boiling.

"How about you let Deano go, mate? Have a chat with some cool soda?" Yatesy smiled, stepping in.

The bloke narrowed his eyes but then nodded brusquely. He shoved Deano towards Whippet, who quickly caught his partner and manoeuvred him out of the crowd. Once out there, he spotted a handful of coppers making their way down the beach. Good riddance, he thought bitterly.

"Hey you doing okay, mate?" he asked concerned, still not having let go of Deano's arm.

Deano looked at him with a crooked smile that obviously caused him discomfort. "Yeah, I just got caught off guard." He answered and sat down on the back of the Rhino. His legs were trembling and his jaw was hurting so much he was wondering whether it was broken or not. It definitely felt that way.

"You should get checked out. That looks pretty nasty, mate." Whippet commented, carefully prodding at the swelling jaw.

Deano was about to protest when there was a lot of yelling going on back at the shoreline.  
"Seems the police have their hands full." Deano huffed with a raised eyebrow. The crowd broke apart and the two men were being moved off the beach under a thunderous applause and cheering.

Whippet spotted Hoppo and Yatesy moving towards them. The head lifeguard was talking on his walkie, probably informing the tower what had happened. His eyes were set on Deano however.

Hoppo had this way of looking at people. It was almost regal. It clearly indicated that defying him was pretty useless. But those eyes also indicated what the lifeguard was thinking or feeling.

Right now he was downright mad.

"Are you okay, mate?" Yatesy asked, looking at the swollen jaw. "That bloke's got you good!"

"Yeah, I am glad you guys came tho'. I am not sure I would have made it out alive if I were on me own." Deano jibed but the joke fell flat when he saw the thunderous look in Hoppo's eyes.

"Yatesy, Whippet, you guys go back to your posts. I am taking Deano back to the tower to have him checked out." Hoppo spoke, his voice void of any emotion.

"Hop, that's not really necessary, mate. I feel fine!" Deano interjected.

"It was not an option, Dean."

Ouch, when Hoppo called someone by their real name instead of their nickname it usually meant serious business. And Deano being one of the longer serving lifeguards knew that too damned well.

He sighed but got up, patting Whippet's shoulder as he walked past his partner, Hoppo hot on his heels.

It definitely felt good to be out of the heat but Deano would rather be stuck in the blistering weather than having Hoppo stare you down in silence. As Deano held the icepack he could tell that even Kerrbox and Harries felt uneasy. They had seen most of the situation unfold but hadn't been aware that Deano had been injured by one of the beachgoers.

Sitting on one of the swivel chairs, Deano tried to look everywhere but at Hoppo, who was leaning against the desk with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Finally the head lifeguard broke the silence.  
"What the hell happened? Why wasn't Whippet with you?"

Deano sighed. "We just came back from the tower after bringing in a girl who had suffered from a heat stroke. Whip had forgotten his water bottle and I told him to go get it. I told him I was going to talk to some blokes who were having a rather violent game of football. They were really close to the other beachgoers and accidents were bound to happen. They were pretty calm when I approached them and seemed like decent blokes. That was until I asked them to move a bit away from the sea because of the risk of hurting other beachgoers. The biggest then began yelling and saying that he had the right to be there and that I was just out to get him. Before I really knew it he had grabbed me and was threatening to kill me if I didn't give it a break."

"And he then punched you out of nowhere?" Hoppo queried, still not relaxing.

Deano nodded, "Well yeah, I guess he felt threatened by Whippet who had just arrived and wanted to show he was being serious."

Hoppo then sighed and rubbed his face.  
"Listen, Hop, it wasn't Whip's fault. It could have happened when he was out in the sea as well. This was just a minor mishap."

"Minor? You got hit in the face, Deano. How many lifeguards have been injured by beachgoers?" Hoppo growled.

"It is hardly a bruise. I will be fine, Hop. Really! The ice is definitely helping." Deano reassured him.

"Either way, police expects you to give a statement. You should press charges as well."

Deano nodded. "Will do, Hop."

"Do you want to call it a day and go home?" Hoppo asked. In his mind he was already thinking about whom he could call as a replacement. It was way too crowded and they were already stretched.

"Nah, I will be all right, mate. But thanks for the offer." Deano smiled and got up, placing the soggy ice bag in the sink.

"Hey Hop, Whippet has three people on his board, I think he needs some backup." Kerrbox spoke.

Deano looked at Hoppo. The head lifeguard nodded and Deano ran out of the tower to assist his partner.

They had all hoped that the next day would bring some wind but they had no such luck. It was forecast to be another sweltering hot day. Seemed they had to take the same precautions as before, Deano thought sullenly as he walked towards the tower at 5.50 a.m. He usually had no trouble getting out of bed in the morning but today it had been bloody difficult. His throbbing jaw hadn't helped and neither had the headache that had progressively worsened over the night. He had taken some aspirin, hoping the pain would abate some before the shift started. It had been way too quiet in his house. His missus, Lilli, was off to visit family friends in Cairns and wouldn't be back for another week. He had called her last night to tell her about what had happened. She was quite startled and wanted to come home immediately. He had told her that he was fine and that it wouldn't be fair on her. She had been looking forward to going to Cairns. "Just be careful, okay babe?" she softly spoke, worry tingeing her voice. Deano felt warmth spread through his body. He missed her.  
"Will do. Miss you. Love you." He answered. "Miss you too. See you soon!"

When he entered the tower most lifeguards were already there. Chappo had taken up Kerrbox place but as Deano greeted the man and he didn't ask about Deano's bruised jaw, it was clear that the others had already informed him about yesterday's events.

Hoppo and Whippet weren't there yet which wasn't that unusual but Deano was glad he didn't have to face the head-lifeguard just yet. When he had given his statement to the police he had a nagging feeling that this whole situation had been his fault. Usually he was very patient with troublemakers but it seemed that yesterday he had a short temper as well. It definitely hadn't helped the whole situation.

Harries was arguing with Yatesy about who was the best Baywatch-babe. Reidy piped up that the best Baywatch-babe was definitely Hoppo. This elicited a bout of laughter and an empty water bottle aimed at Reidy's head. Deano grinned as he checked the roster to see where Whippet and him were posted. He frowned when he saw that he was scheduled to stay in the tower the entire shift. He groaned in disbelief.

"What's the matter, Deano? You okay?" Egg asked, a tinge of concern in his voice.

Deano smiled although it did hurt a bit. "Yeah, it just seems that Hoppo doesn't want me to be out on the beach today." He sighed and pointed at the schedule.

Egg frowned as well and nearly smacked his nose against the board when Reidy bumped into him, trying to avoid Harries who had rolled up a towel and was whipping it at him.

Yatesy was cheering Reidy on whilst Chappo was recording the whole event on his phone.

When the door of the tower opened, it revealed Hoppo with Whippet behind him. The head-lifeguard looked bemused at the boys fooling around.  
"This is the lifeguard's tower, right? For a moment I thought I entered a classroom filled with nippers." He commented as he shrugged his bag off.

Deano saw Hoppo glance in his direction and he already steeled himself for a nice conversation with Hoppo about the roster.

After debriefing everyone, Hoppo moved to the lockers to put his bags away whilst Chappo and Harries moved out to place the flags. Deano followed the head-lifeguard.

"Hey Hop." He greeted. Hoppo didn't look as he opened his locker. "I know what you are going to ask, Deano. The answer is no."

Deano frowned. "Hop, come on. I get that yesterday was a bit of a scare for all of us. But this is overkill. It is going to be another sweltering hot day and the boys can all use some time to cool off. Putting me in the tower the entire day would be unfair to them, don't you think?"

Hoppo didn't answer as he pulled out his sunnies out of his backpack.

"Bruce, come on. I am not some rookie. There is no need to protect me like this." Deano sighed and placed a hand on Hoppo's shoulder. "Please."

Hoppo finally looked at Deano and sighed. "Yeah, you are right. I think I overreacted a bit. I never expected something like this to happen, really."

"It's okay Hop, we were all rattled. But it is going to be fine." Deano smiled reassuringly, clapping Hoppo slightly on the back. He then went to find and inform Whippet that he was going to be stuck with him again.

A small part of him wished he had stayed at home, or had at least agreed with Hoppo and stay in the tower. Over the course of the day he was starting to feel really off. He didn't have much time to think about it however as they were all stretched to the limit and pulling one swimmer out of the rip after the other. The lukewarm water did help a bit to cool them a bit but it never lasted long.

"Deano, you need to help out Harries and Chappo out at Backpacker's a.s.a.p!" Reidy's voice spoke over the walkie-talkie.

Not wasting any time, Deano grabbed his rescue-board, vaguely wondering when it had become so heavy, and ran off towards Backpacker's rip. It was a good fifty metres away and on a regular day he had no trouble doing that bit of a stretch. In fact he really prided himself on his stamina. His body was his temple, after all.

But this was no regular day.

A bus of Asian tourists hadn't seen the danger signs –or had elected to ignore it -and some of them had ventured out too far in the water. It was a bit of a typical thing, really. Harries had a double rescue going on whilst Chappo was already back in the water after bringing a man to shore. Deano joined them in the save. They had to pull out nine tourists in total.

"Thanks mate." Chappo said to Deano out of breath. "We were getting smashed by tourists all of a sudden. We just managed to explain one group about the warning signs when a second bus arrived and they just went in."

"No sweat, mate. Seems Harries is doing a great job explaining." Deano chuckled.

Harries, with a face red of frustration, walked over the Rhino and grabbed the speaker for the megaphone.

"To all swimmers. This water. Very dangerous! Death! No swim!" he shouted in the speaker. "Go swim between flags. Left!"

Both Chappo and Deano pointed to the designated red and yellow flags. The realisation dawned on most tourists as they grabbed their belongings and made their way further down the beach.

"You'd think that at least one of them speaks proper English when they go abroad." Harries muttered as he joined Chappo and Deano. "I wonder whether the Hoff would have such problems."

Chappo rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. You do know that David Hasselhoff isn't a real lifeguard, right Harries?"

Deano gasped: "Chappo, you weren't supposed to tell him!"

Harries faked crying as he wailed: "My whole life has been a lie!"

The situation was interrupted when Deano got another call for help. Seemed that even in the safe spots the tourists managed to screw up. He grabbed his rescue board and ran back to help Whippet.

"He didn't look very well, did he?" Harries commented as they watched Deano run off. Chappo shook his head.  
"Better have Whippet keep an eye on him." Harries sighed.

The hours ticked by agonisingly slow. They were getting hammered with all kinds of situations: bad flat rock scrapes, at least a dozen cases of classic heat stroke or heat exhaustion, inexperienced swimmers caught in a rip and as the temperature rose, so did the tempers.

Whippet threw his rescue board in the sand. "This is the third time I had to pull the same bloke out of the water. This whacker should be kicked off the beach." He growled in frustration and took a swig of water. He grimaced as it had become tepid.

Deano didn't answer right away, instead kept looking at the swimmers.  
"Hey Deano, did'ya hear me, mate?" Whippet asked.

"What do you want me to do, Whippet? I can't chain them all to the tower, can I?" Deano snapped and got out of the Rhino. He trudged towards the water and admonished a teenager for leaving his wrapper on the ground.

Whippet cringed as he saw the boy close to tears. Harries had been right when he had called him, saying Deano wasn't himself today. The usually amicable man was definitely irritable and even borderline aggressive. If Deano had been a beachgoer, Whippet would have asked him to leave.

When Deano returned, Whippet was about to speak to him when Egg called for backup at the North. A surfer was caught in between the rocks and they needed a strong paddler. Whippet didn't really want to leave Deano the way he was now, but what choice did he have?

He grabbed his board, jumped in the Rhino and drove off.

He felt like complete and utter crap: his heart was pounding against his ribs and every beat sent forth a wave of pain in his head. His jaw had started to ache again as well. He did feel bad for his outburst at Whippet. The younger man didn't deserve that kind of a response. But truth be told, they would never be fully able to make people understand that no they couldn't actually go for a swim outside the flags because it was too dangerous.

Whippet had been gone for quite some time now and Deano hoped that everything was okay. He also hoped the man would be back soon. Not only because he was downright flaked but also because he craved for something to drink. It must be close to 2 a.m. now and soon they would change positions once more. Whippet's and Deano's next spot was at Backpacker's rip. Seeing as how busy Harries and Chappo had been, Deano actually dreaded to head there.

He wiped some sand from his leg. During his latest safe he had somehow scraped his leg. It was just a shallow cut and not really worth looking at but it took his attention away long enough for him to fail to notice that Whippet had returned.

He actually startled when the Rhino suddenly parked next to him. Had he just zoned out?

Whippet looked beat. Seemed the safe hadn't been unscathed. Deano nodded at the bandage around the man's arm.  
"Are you okay, mate?" he asked sincerely.

Whippet shrugged as he went to stand next to Deano. "The surfer was in a pretty precarious position. We managed to get him out well enough but he panicked when we didn't take his new board along. He was more shark biscuit than a surfer, if you ask me." Whippet huffed, "Anyways, I tried to paddle away from the rocks but he started flailing so bad I couldn't hold us both and we smashed into the rocks. He damn near drowned me. Of course when he made Reidy go back to look for his board it was already lost at sea. I have never seen Reidy get so mad. It was both hilarious and frightening!"

Deano chuckled and Whippet looked at him. Yeah, that was more like the Deano they all knew and loved.

"Tower to lifeguards." Hoppo's voice spoke over the walkies, "Time to change positions, boys. Deano, Whippet, Harries and Chappo, two of you can come over to grab a quick bite."

"Let's head down to Backpacker's and you then take the Rhino back to the tower." Deano suggested, the tone in his voice clearly indicating that this wasn't a discussing matter.

Whippet sighed deeply but agreed. Hoppo was going to kill him.

Truth be told, Deano wasn't even remotely hungry despite the fact that he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. He was pretty nauseous and if things hadn't been so hectic at Backpacker's he would have noticed the signs earlier. They were all too clear, yet he had been too busy to see it.

He barely managed to get a rather large woman back to shore, the muscles in his arms trembling with each stroke. He had been running over the entire length of South Bondi, pulling people out of the water. Whippet had been gone for only ten minutes but Deano was pretty sure he would be back soon.

"Thank you so much! You are a wonderful man! You saved my life!" the woman cried as she pulled Deano in a suffocating hug.  
"You're welcome," he answered, his voice muffled. When she finally let go he thought he was going to collapse. "You better go swim in between the flags, the current is too strong here."

The woman patted him on his head like she would a small kid and then walked off. Deano spotted Whippet widely grinning at him. Great, he would be the laughing stock for the next few weeks.

"Mate, she was all over you! I don't think the missus would like that." Whippet laughed as he exited the Rhino. Deano rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Hoppo says it's your turn now." Whippet informed him but Deano never got to go for at that moment five people were being swept away.

Deano felt as if he had done the Iron Man Challenge twice in a row. His arms were sore; he was out of breath and barely managed to withstand the crashing waves. When he finally managed to get the two small children onto his board he was drained. He saw that Whippet had three people clinging onto the rescue board as he paddled back to shore. He went as fast as he could but to him it felt as if he was going at a snail's pace. The kids didn't seem to notice as they were too exited about being rescued. Safely depositing them back ashore, Deano ran back into the water, his knees nearly giving away. He reached Whippet and took one of the parents on his own board. Whippet, being left with the lithe mother and her young son, decided to perform a double rescue as well.

Deano was almost back to shore when he felt his energy drain. In a last ditch effort to get back he rode a wave towards the beach. When he was sure the man was safe enough to stand on a sandbank, only then did he stop paddling. As he watched the father reunite with his family, he was glad that it was over. He saw Whippet looking at him, probably wondering why he didn't come out.

Inhaling deeply and trying to calm his pounding heart, he got up and walked back to shore. When did the beach become so lopsided? It still felt as if he was stuck on waves. The ten-kilo rescue-board suddenly felt like one hundred kilos. He chuckled at his weakness, still treading the water. Whippet was talking to him. He could see his mate's mouth move but he didn't hear anything but the rush of the waves. Or was that the rush of blood in his ears? He didn't get to find out as the world suddenly shrouded in bright white and he knew no more.


	2. Echo

Whippet had been keeping a close eye on Deano ever since Harries had contacted him. When he had gone off for a quick bite in the tower, even Hoppo had asked him about Deano. He assured them he was fine but he had a nagging feeling in his gut that it wasn't true.

When he saw Deano paddle through the water he could tell that the man was having serious trouble cutting through. When he didn't immediately return to shore and lingered in the water, Whippet knew there was something very wrong. He called out to his colleague but Deano didn't seem to hear him. When he finally did get onto his feet, it was everything but steady. If Whippet didn't know better he would say Deano was drunk. Whippet started walking towards Deano but broke out into a mad dash when Deano simply collapsed.

They both landed rather hard in the water but Whippet had no time to tend to his bruised bottom as he started dragging Deano out of the surf. The man was definitely unconscious.

Once they were on dry land, Whippet first checked Deano's vitals before he contacted the tower. Deano's pulse was rapid and he was clearly breathing fast. Whippet wasn't sure whether it was from the exertion or from something else entirely. Some people were starting to crowd them but Whippet tried to pay them no heed as he rolled Deano in the recovery position.

"You!" he pointed at the large lady, which Deano had saved before, "Grab that parasol and bring it here. Now!"

She hurdled off as Whippet contacted Hoppo.  
"Hoppo, Whippet here. We have a situation. Deano's just collapsed. He is in a real bad shape, mate." Whippet heard things fall over in the background and hurried footsteps. "Is he conscious?" Hoppo quickly asked.

"No, he just collapsed after a rescue."

Hoppo cursed and grabbed his gear and the defibrillator. "Yatesy, you stay here and watch the beach. I am going to the South." He didn't wait for answer as he ran outside and jumped on the quad.

"Is he awake yet, Whippet?" Hoppo asked as he sped off towards Backpacker's. A crowd had already formed. "No, not yet. Wait, yeah, he is starting to wake up."

Because of Hoppo's arrival, most beachgoers dispersed, giving Hoppo a clear path to get through. Deano was indeed beginning to rouse. Whippet had made sure to keep the man out of the sun. It was becoming clear that Deano was suffering from a bad heat stroke. "How are his vitals?" Hoppo asked as he crouched next to Deano and carefully turned the man on his back. Deano's skin was way too dry and hot.

"His pulse is bloody fast. We should get him inside." Whippet spoke. Hoppo handed him an oxygen mask.

"Deano, are you with us, mate?" Hoppo queried, softly tapping Deano's cheek. The man frowned and tried to move away. He opened his bleary eyes and looked around so confused, it nearly broke Whippet's heart.

"Wha-…" he trailed off, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

"Deano, you collapsed. We are going to get you inside so you can cool off." Hoppo quickly explained. "Do you think you can get up?" Hoppo asked, gently grabbing one of Deano's arms. The man nodded, too tired and ill to provide a verbal answer. Whippet took Deano's other arm and slung it over his shoulder. Ever so slowly they got up and moved Deano to the back of the Rhino.

During the short trek to the tower, Deano hadn't moved an inch. Instead he leant against Hoppo, his eyes barely open. Hoppo never stopped talking to him, urging him to stay awake.

Both Hoppo and Whippet wondered how they had gotten so fast up the tower. Before they knew it, they were in the cool tower and had positioned Deano on the cot. "Yatesy, grab me ice packs and cooling blankets. Now!" Hoppo bellowed, as he pointed the fan directly at Deano's head.

"Whippet, call an ambo. We need to get him to the hospital."

Whippet, looking rather shaken, nodded and then dashed upstairs to call the ambulance services. Yatesy returned with a bucket filled with ice packs. "He looks bloody shagged." Yatesy muttered as he and Hoppo placed the ice packs all over Deano's body.  
"Hey Deano, keep your eyes open, okay? You are going to be fine." Hoppo spoke to Deano, placing ice packs on Deano's forehead and neck.

"Ambo's on its way. ETA six minutes." Whippet informed them as he returned to his fallen colleague.  
"Good. Raise his legs, Whippet." Hoppo ordered. "Yatesy, can you bring me a bottle of Isostar?"

"Deano, I need you to stay awake. The ambo is almost here. Cheers, Yatesy." Hoppo took the cool bottle of sports-drink. "Do you think you can drink a bit?"

Deano nodded shakily. Hoppo helped him sit a bit up and offered him some. Deano had never expected to lie on this cot himself. He wasn't even remotely aware of what was going on. He only knew that he was feeling too hot.

The next thing he knew was waking to an unfamiliar white ceiling. He could smell antiseptic products and the rough scratch of the blankets on his legs told him enough. He was in the hospital. Sluggishly he looked around and tried to figure out what was going on. He could tell that he had a nasal cannula on his face, there were various leads attached to his chest and he had a bulky clip on his index finger.

As he squinted, he could read on the clock on the wall that it was nearing 3 p.m. He was about to press the call button when someone entered the room.

The nurse smiled as he saw his patient awake.  
"Hello mister Gladstone, my name is Kieran and I am the nurse taking care of you today."  
"Hey." Deano greeted with a scratchy voice.  
"How are you feeling?" Kieran asked as he tapped on the bedside monitor.  
Deano shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Do you know where you are?" Kieran took a small penlight out of his pocket and checked Deano's pupil reflexes.  
"The hospital." Deano answered, blinking rapidly to get rid of the vicious after-glare of the light. Kieran nodded contentedly.  
"Very good!" The nurse praised. "Can you give me your full name?"  
Kieran asked a couple of more questions, gauging Deano's neurological status. When Deano showed no signs of neurological deterioration, Kieran smiled brightly.

He could do with a glass of water, he mused as Kieran started measuring his blood pressure and other vital signs.

"I can't give you anything to drink yet, considering you just woke up. But let's see how you feel in half an hour? When you are more awake?" Kieran asked as if he was able to read his patient's mind.

"Yes, that'd be great." He followed Kieran's ministrations, waiting for him to tell him what had happened. His mind was pretty fuzzy to say the least.

Jotting down something in his file, Kieran seemed pretty content with the parameters. He checked the I.V. fluids which were attached to Deano's arm.  
"Your blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal. Your temperature is also coming down nicely. It seems you are well on your way to a speedy recovery, mister Gladstone." He told Deano, helping him sit more upright in bed. "In fact, I think we can already take you off the oxygen."

"What happened?" Deano asked when he was relieved of the nasal cannula.  
"Yesterday you were rushed to the hospital with a core temperature of forty-one degrees Celsius. We had to use extensive cooling methods to bring your temperature down because you were at a great risk of multi organ failure and neurological damage. Your colleagues handled very swift and adequate however." Kieran explained. "If you like I can call the doctor and ask her if she can come over and explain everything to you?"

"That would be nice, if you could do that. Thank you." Deano answered. He had been here for twenty-four hours? He had a hard time actually believing that. He heaved a deep sigh and looked out of the matted window. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to press the call button." Kieran said as he exited the room.

He must have dozed off because a light tap on his shoulder woke him up. He looked up at a doctor in her mid-thirties. "Glad to see you awake, mister Gladstone. How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Pretty flaked, if I am honest. Also, I barely remember what has happened."

She nodded and took her own penlight, repeating the same tests like Kieran had done. When she saw no problems she turned the penlight off.

The doctor took a chair and sat next to him. Her nametag read: Eve Flanigan, MD.  
"Yesterday you were brought in with what we call an exertional heat stroke. It is different from a classical heat stroke. The classic heat stroke that is most common is primarily due to heat exposure. It often strikes elderly and more vulnerable populations. Besides, the onset to presentation of CHS, or classic heat stroke, is within days. Both form of heat strokes occur when a person's core body temperature is higher than 40 degrees Celsius. However EHS or exertional heat stroke is more serious as it develops within hours and strikes relatively healthy people, such as yourself. EHS is primarily due to strenuous physical activity. Added with the fact that you boys are working in extreme weather conditions certainly doesn't help. Your body temperature reached a dangerous high level causing your body to go into a hyperthermic and hypermetabolic crisis. Not only could you develop neurological deficits but also multi organ failure and even death. However, you were treated rapidly and you have no lingering damage."

Deano nodded, taking in all the information. "But why did it happen to me? I've worked during heat waves before and I never had any troubles with it."

Doctor Flanigan thought for a split second before she answered. "We can't really tell which physically active person EHS may strike. But we do have a fair idea as to why it occurs. There are people who are at a higher risk than others. For example: firefighters, military personnel, outdoor labourers and athletes. When someone gets subjected to risk factors like hot-humid environments, intense exercise, dehydration and existing medical conditions they have a much bigger risk of getting EHS. We have a fairly good guess that you were definitely subjected to the first three."

"So, what is my prognosis, doc?" he asked, playing with the bulky oximeter on his finger.

"Well, it depends. We would like to monitor you for another night just to be on the safe side. But if there is someone back at home who can keep an eye on you, we could discharge you after you have had some dinner?" Doctor Flanigan suggested. "I will have one of the nurses bring you something to drink first. See how that goes. When you are ready for it you can try some solid food. You can give the number of your contact to the nurses and let them know what your preference is." She got up and shook Deano's hand. "We can't let you go home alone unsupervised, however. It is for your own safety. You should be monitored for at least another twenty-four hours."

"Yes, of course. I understand, thanks doc." Deano smiled and watched her leave the room. Now he was posed with a different problem: who was he going to call? There was no one at his place and his parents were on a holiday in Florence.

Kieran entered his room a good ten minutes later with a plastic cup in his hand. Deano greeted him with a smile.  
"Doctor Flanigan told me you could go home, provided you manage to eat something and have someone to watch over you." The nurse said with a wink as he handed Deano the cup.

Deano took a couple of tentative sips, content when it soothed his parched throat.  
"Is there anyone we can call?" Kieran asked as he slowed the I.V. fluid down. Because his patient was drinking now there wasn't as big of a need for substitutes.

Tapping his index finger against the cup he chewed on his lip. He had been going over loads of possibilities. He had first opted to ask Whippet if he could stay with him for a couple of days but then remembered that it was Friday. Whippet usually hung out with a couple of his mates on Friday evenings. He vaguely recalled Harries, Reidy and Yatesy saying that they would join. Egg and Chappo had to work in the weekend and the doc had said another twenty-four hour observation.

"Yeah. Could I use a phone?" he asked as he handed Kieran the empty cup. "Thanks for the water."

"No worries." Kieran replied with another bright smile and went back outside, looking for the patient-telephone.

"Bondi Lifeguards, Harries speaking."

\- "Hey Harries, it's me, mate."

Harries face brightened and he made exaggerated motions to the phone, mouthing 'Deano'. Immediately the three lifeguards in the tower were all ears.

"Hooley dooley, Deano! How are you doing mate? Bothering the nurses, I reckon?" Harries laughed with his boisterous voice.

\- "Nah, I'm not like you, ya dag. I'm doing well, actually. Got tubes everywhere, even in the less sexy places."

Harries guffawed at that answer and nearly fell out of his chair.

"Deano, as much as I like details, this is way too much info! Some things a man has got to keep to hisself!"

As Harries was joking some more on the phone, Hoppo entered the Watch Tower. He took of his sunglasses and nodded at Egg with a questioning look.  
"It's Deano." Egg softly answered. "Judging by the way Harries is nearly having a brain aneurysm, Deano's fine."

A wave of relief washed over Hoppo. That was bloody good news. He would be lying if he said that none of this had fazed him. Yesterday's events had been quite frightening and he could barely supress a shudder as he remembered the awful way Deano had looked.

He was pulled back to the present when he heard Harries speak his name.  
"Hop? Nah mate, he's out at the beach. Oh, hang on, mate. Seems he just came in." Harries handed Hoppo the phone and picked up his binoculars.

-"Hoppo speaking?"

Deano didn't know why he felt so nervous. After all, Hoppo was a friend and colleague, right? He probably wouldn't mind at all. Or at least, that was what he hoped. What if Hoppo would say no? Would he be stuck in the hospital for another day?

Realising he was drifting off, he internally admonished himself and clenched the phone tighter.

"Hey Hop! It's me." He inwardly cringed. Of course Hoppo would know it was him, Harries would have definitely told the head-lifeguard.

-"Hey Deano, good to hear you. Everything okay?"

Deano could hear the faintest tinge of concern in Hoppo's voice.

"Yeah. They took off the oxygen and I got to drink some water." Deano replied.

-"Good onya, mate!"

"Cheers, Hop. Uhm…" Come on, Deano, out with it, he thought bitterly, "Hop, the doc told me I could get out of the hospital today after I've had something to eat. They want to see how well my stomach is handling everything and all that. Make sure there aren't any lingering problems."

\- "That shouldn't be a problem. You have the weekend off anyway." Hoppo answered hesitantly.

Deano rubbed his eyes. Well, this was going spiffy.  
"Yeah. Uhm, Hop, what I wanted to ask…" Deano trailed off, steeling himself, "Thing is, Lilli isn't home for another week and my parents have left on a holiday to Europe. The doc only allowed me to get out of the hospital if I could stay with someone for at least twenty-four hours. Observation and all that, ya know."

It was quiet on the other side, Hoppo patiently waiting for the rest.

"So, I've been thinking who else I could ask but well most of them are occupied otherwise or don't stay at home during the weekends and I…" Deano could tell he was rambling. He quickly pulled himself together. "I was wondering if I could stay with you until Saturday evening." There. It was out.

Deano waited with bated breath for Hoppo's answer. Would the man agree? Or would he say it was better for Deano to stay in the hospital? Truth be told, Deano hated hospitals. They gave him the creeps so he'd rather not be here any longer than necessary.

"Uhh, Hop, still there?" Deano asked hesitantly.

-"Yeah, sorry mate, I was going somewhere private. The boys were getting too rambunctious. I could barely understand a thing you were saying. So, if I am correct you need a place to stay at for a twenty-four hour observation?"

"Yeah, I tried to think of other options but I guess the sun fried my brain." Deano cringed. Cripes, perhaps that joke was a bit too soon. He was slightly taken back when Hoppo chuckled.

-"Seems you're in a bit of luck. The missus isn't home for the weekend. If you like I can set you up on the couch. It's pretty comfy, really."

Deano heaved an audible sigh.

"Hop, you are a lifesaver!"

\- "It is kinda in the job-description, mate." Hoppo laughed. "Do you want me to come pick you up after work?"

"Nah, I'll order a taxi. I don't want to impose too much on ya. You are already doing me a huge favour!" He felt relaxed for the first time in a while. He was so happy Hoppo had agreed.

\- "No sweat, mate. Just give me a ring when they are going to discharge you and I'll come pick ya up."

"Thanks heaps, Hoppo! Truly." Deano smiled.

\- "No worries, Deano. I'm glad you are okay. See ya this evening."

"See ya!"

The food had been as bland as he had expected but maybe it was for the best. The blander the food, the less his stomach would have trouble digesting it. He still vaguely wondered how healthy hospital food actually was. He decided not to give it any more thought and carefully pushed the bedside table away.

It seemed Kieran had super-senses because five minutes after Deano finished eating his tasteless sandwich he entered the room.  
"So, how was your dinner, Dean?" he asked whilst eyeing the monitor that showed the most important vital signs.

"It was bland but filling. Thanks for the tea as well."

Fiddling with the I.V. line, Kieran smiled. "No worries, it's the least I could do. On another note, your core temperature has reached normal levels and has stabilised. I will notify doc Flanigan and she will bring you the discharge papers. Do you have transportation back home?"

"Yeah, a colleague will come pick me up as soon as I call." Deano replied.

"Fantastic. Let me take this tray and I will inform doc Flanigan." Kieran smiled broadly. Despite hating hospitals, Deano had to admit that having a nurse like Kieran definitely made things better.

"Doc's writing the discharge papers as we speak and I will relieve you of all these wires." Kieran said as he entered the room. Deano had been in the process of zapping through various channels on the television. In the end he had settled for a documentary on Portuguese Men-O'-War. He might actually get to know some handy information on these little pests.

"That's great news." Deano said with a smile. Kieran pulled a cart behind him. He made short work of removing the I.V. from Deano's arm, staunching the bleeding with a compress. After he had taped it firmly to Deano's skin, he removed all ECG-wires and –stickers off Deano's chest. The oximeter was put away and gone was the annoying thermometer that was in a place he'd rather not have it. He was bloody relieved that they hadn't inserted a Foley catheter. He would be pretty mortified if they had.

"I will bring you the phone so you can contact your colleague. I think doc is ready soon." Kieran took all wires and tools that had been attached to Deano and headed out.

Deano sat on the edge of the bed, making sure his feet didn't touch the cold ground. Besides, no one knew what kind of bacteria could be wandering around on the floor. He hadn't actually asked Hoppo to bring his clothes when he picked him up. Strewth. That meant he had to walk to the car with bare feet – and bare buttocks. Perhaps they still had his board shorts somewhere.

There was a knock on the door. Deano looked up, expecting to see doctor Flanigan or Kieran. He actually didn't expect Hoppo to be standing in the doorway.  
"Hoppo!" he exclaimed.

"I called the hospital to ask if you were going to be discharged soon. They said you were getting ready and were waiting for your discharge papers. They…uhh…said it was okay if I waited for you at the hospital. That way you won't have to wait so long and they can prepare the room for a next patient." Hoppo explained as he walked up to Deano's bed. "You are looking hell of a lot better."

Deano chuckled. "I do feel better. I am glad to get out of here, however. I never liked hospitals much."

"Ah, that hurt me feelings." Kieran's voice piped up. He entered the room with a broad smile, doctor Flanigan behind him.

"No hard feelings, Kieran." Deano smiled apologetic.

"No sweat, Dean. I brought your personal belongings." He handed the plastic bag.

"Cheers, Kieran."

"So, mister Gladstone, I see you made a fast recovery." Doctor Flanigan smiled. She looked quizzically at Hoppo. "Hello, mister…?" she trailed off, extending her hand.

Hoppo shook the small hand of the doctor, "Bruce Hopkins. I am Dean's colleague and head-lifeguard of Waverly Council."

"Oh, Bondi Beach, right? I thought you looked familiar. Must have seen you in one of the commercials on television. Nice to meet you." She smiled. "Mister Gladstone, you don't mind your colleague being here?"

"Oh no, not at all! I will be staying at his home for twenty-four hours, just like you said. So maybe it's good he can follow along." Deano quickly said.

"Fair enough." She spoke and sat down on one of the plastic chairs, motioning Hoppo to do the same. "So as I told you before you suffered from exertional heat stroke. We had to cool you aggressively but your colleagues already made that a lot easier for us by their swift actions. We had to wait a bit for the test results to come back but they were all right. There were no signs of serious muscle damage or haemolysis in your blood and your urine sample came back normal as well, meaning you didn't suffer any kidney damage. I don't expect any more problems health-wise but I do recommend you to take it easy for a couple of weeks."

She quickly glanced at Hoppo before focussing back on her patient.  
"You really dodged a bullet, mister Gladstone. If you had been out in the heat any longer I don't think we'd be having a conversation like this right now. If we had to intubate you, things might have been different. I hope you realise that. You might be more susceptible to heat strokes, so you have to be very cautious next time."

Deano nodded and from the corner of his eye, he saw Hoppo staring at him.  
"Of course, doc."

"So for now I prescribe you some rest. No strenuous activities that acquire lots of physical work. You can resume light work in a couple of days. But try to stay in a cool environment for a few days. Just to give your body some time to heal. I also highly recommend you to drink enough fluids. When you came in you were very dehydrated. Dehydration and heat stroke are a lethal combination. Try to drink plenty of water." She continued and then turned to Hoppo. "From what I've gathered, you gave him Isostar, correct?"

Hoppo nodded, "Yeah when he was lucid enough, we tried to give him something to drink. I've read in an online article that sports-drinks were a pretty efficient way of replenishing electrolytes that you lose when sweating?"

"That's very true!" She smiled and looked back at Deano. "Normally when you drink enough water you shouldn't worry much about electrolytes. But if you start to feel weak from dehydration you should dilute some sports-drinks with water. Sports-drinks naturally contain minerals, such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. Electrolytes that your cells need to carry electrical impulses to other cells in order to maintain muscle- and nerve control. But they also contain a lot of sugar and flavourings. So if you do resort to a sports-drink it's best to dilute it with water."

She handed Deano some papers. "I want you to check in with your GP for another body check after a week. He will take some samples to see if you haven't developed some latent problems. But I don't expect anything, really."

She stood up and looked back and forth between Hoppo and Deano.  
"If you were to experience any headaches, nausea or dizziness or if your urine is unnaturally dark in twenty-four hours I want you to go to the E.R. a.s.a.p." She then turned to Hoppo. "If he starts behaving odd or gets confused, it is also a warning sign."

Hoppo nodded. "I will keep an eye on him."

"Splendid!" She smiled. "Does one of you have any questions? No? All right then, mister Gladstone, I wish you a speedy recovery! Mister Hopkins, nice to meet you. I will let Kieran know you will be leaving."

"Thanks a lot, doc!" Deano smiled and then exhaled. He looked into the plastic bag Kieran had brought him and chuckled fondly when he saw his favourite pair of board shorts.

"I hope you aren't planning on putting those on." Hoppo suddenly said. Deano looked up quizzically. The head-lifeguard dropped Deano's backpack in his lap. "I thought I'd bring your gear along you left in your locker."

"Ah, Hop, you are wonderful!" Deano grinned. He longed to put on his short sweatpants and a t-shirt. Everything was better than this scratchy gown. He didn't contain the wide smile as he spotted his thongs as well. No need to walk on bare feet!

On their way to Hoppo's place they had made a quick stop at Deano's house. Hoppo waited in the car as Deano quickly went inside to fetch the essentials. He made sure everything was locked and then hastily went back outside. As he got back into Hoppo's car and they drove off he started to feel foolish. He was feeling like himself again. Sure, he was tired. But did he really have to be under observation? Wasn't he going to bother Hoppo? What would his boss think of him? His hands clenched the straps of his backpack.

They arrived at Hoppo's home in less than six minutes and in complete silence. Deano had been at Hoppo's house before. The head-lifeguard had hosted some small parties and football-evenings before. The Hopkins house was definitely cosy. When Hoppo opened the door a dog ran up to them, barking loudly. When it saw its boss was back home, it started wagging its tail.  
"Hey boy." Hoppo smiled and patted its head. He turned around to look at Deano, still standing in the doorway. "Do you want to take a shower?" He asked and motioned Deano to come in, closing the door behind him.

"If that wouldn't be too much of a hassle?" Deano glanced at the digital clock sitting atop the kitchen counter. It was almost 8 p.m. He was definitely ready to crawl in bed but he was vaguely aware of sand crusted in his dark brown curls.  
"Nah mate, of course not. You know the way to the bathroom, right? If you look in the left cabinet you will find some towels. Just use the shampoo, although I highly recommend you don't use the pink bottle. Well, if you don't want to smell like bubble-gum for a whole week." Hoppo chuckled as he attached a leash to the dog's collar. "I am going for a quick walk. I will be back in ten. I have my cellphone with me, so if anything's wrong, call me." The last sentence was said with such intonation that Deano knew Hoppo would kill him if something happened and he didn't call.

"No worries, Hop. I will. Thanks again!" Deano smiled. He padded off to the bathroom, vaguely wondering if the pink shampoo was as bad as Hoppo said.

When he was freshly washed –not smelling like bubble-gum – and dressed in shorts and a shirt, Deano looked at himself in the mirror. He tried to arrange his dark-brown curls a bit before brushing his teeth.

He felt like a whole new person again. The wonders of taking a shower and brushing ones teeth…

As he exited the bathroom, he heard rummaging in the living room. Investigating where the sound was coming from, he saw Hoppo throwing some pillows and a duvet on a pull out couch. So, this was the famous couch Kerrbox had spoken of. Apparently it was one of the best couches Kerrbox had ever crashed on. He claimed it was even better than his own bed. Deano was definitely going to put it to the test.

Hoppo righted and put his hands on his hips. "This should be okay…" he muttered to himself, unaware of Deano standing in the hallway.  
"I have slept on far worse." Deano commented, chuckling at Hoppo's surprised look.

"How are you feeling?" the head-lifeguard asked.

"I definitely feel better but I could use some proper sleep." He smiled.

Hoppo nodded. "Well, I wasn't sure how much pillows you needed, so I just threw on a couple. There is a thinner blanket in the wicker-box if it gets too warm."

Deano eyed the mound of pillows. There were definitely enough pillows to hold a proper pillow fight or build a cushion-fort. "It's perfect. Thanks Hoppo." He sat down with a weary sigh. Yes, this was definitely a comfy couch. He didn't know he had actually dozed off until a hand softly nudged him.

"Deano?" Deano opened his eyes.  
"I have put a glass of water on the table. If you need anything, my room's down the hall. Just call out, okay?"

Deano, half-asleep, snuggled one of the dozen pillows. "You are a hero, Hop. Thanks."

Hoppo chuckled and turned off the lights. He was beat himself. As he walked down the hallway, he stopped to pet his dog on its head. "You watch over him, okay boy?" The dog looked at him with its bright eyes, as if to say that Hoppo didn't need to worry about a thing.

Hoppo had made sure Deano didn't exert himself over much. He had refused to let Deano go back to work on Sunday.  
"We'll see how you are doing Monday. For now, you get some rest." Hoppo had admonished when he dropped Deano off at his house.

Deano sullenly nodded. "Will do." He waved as Hoppo drove off. It was a bright Sunday morning. Hoppo had forced Deano to stay for another night. Not that Deano minded. He enjoyed the company and the couch was definitely awesome. He turned around and went inside. Perhaps he could do some laundry. Lilli would appreciate that.

Monday couldn't come soon enough. Deano was ready to go back to work. When he arrived at the Tower, he was first. As he unlocked the door, he enjoyed the silence and a hot cup of fresh ginger tea. He really liked mornings like these. The sun was slowly rising, casting orange and red hues in the sky. The waves were softly lapping on the golden sand. Yeah, he definitely had the best office in the world.

The door opened and Reidy and Harries entered. Both were loudly conversing. Something about a crazy party and Egg dancing on a table.  
"G'day boys." Deano greeted them and took another sip of his tea.

Harries dropped his bag and stormed up the stairs, nearly tripping in the process. He grabbed Deano in a bear hug.  
"Mate, so good to see ya!" He stepped back and looked Deano over. "You look loads better!"

Reidy had made his way up stairs as well, albeit in a more civilised manner. Deano and he clasped hands tightly (Reidy didn't do hugs) and he clapped the man on his shoulder. "I thought you'd be out for weeks!"

"No, but he will be performing light duty. Meaning, guarding the tower for the rest of the week." Hoppo spoke as he entered the tower. He exchanged looks with Deano and nodded kindly. Deano smiled in return. He could live with tower-duty.

Maxi, Gonzo and Egg showed up five minutes later. Egg looked rather haggard, Deano noticed. Yak followed soon after. The moment they saw Deano, they immediately walked up to him, asking how he was feeling. Hoppo had notified them of what had happened. He had also urged them all to keep an eye out for each other and drink enough water. Whippet was last to enter the tower. As soon as he saw Deano, he froze and hastily retreated to the back of the tower.

This had not gone unnoticed by Hoppo. The head-lifeguard had a suspicion that Whippet was feeling guilty about the whole ordeal. When their shift had ended that Thursday and they had received word that Deano was stable, Hoppo had debriefed them. Everyone was shocked of course. They had noticed that Deano hadn't been quite himself but they had never expected it to be this worse. Whippet had been quiet the entire time. Not wanting to confront him, Hoppo had told them that they could talk to him about this at all times. Or talk to one of the other colleagues. As they had packed their bags, Hoppo declared that he would keep them updated on Deano's condition.

On hindsight, maybe Hoppo should have talked to Whippet in private. Because they both had the weekend off, this was the first time he saw the man since Friday. They hadn't spoken much. It hadn't been as busy of a day as it had the day before but neither did they have the time to sit down. Whippet had been down at the beach when Deano had called.

Hoppo decided he would have to keep a close eye on both Whippet and Deano. Before everyone headed off to his designated post, Hoppo adjusted the timetable a bit.

"Hey Maxi, come here for a bit." Hoppo called out to the young trainee-lifeguard. The gangly kid quickly walked towards the head-lifeguard. "Maxi, you were supposed tag along with Yak and Gonzo. Instead I want you to join Harries and Whippet at Backpacker's, so you can train your moves, yeah?" Hoppo said with a wink. Maxi grinned brightly at him. The kid was obviously stoked. Hoppo had actually put Maxi with Harries and Whippet so the two elite lifeguards were busy. Maxi wasn't a handful at all but he was vibrant and energetic. Maybe some diversion was just what Whippet needed. He would talk to the young man once the shift was over.

Hoppo wasn't the only one who had noticed Whippet's distant behaviour. Usually Whippet would be the first to greet everyone. Today he had withdrawn instead, not even looking in Deano's direction. He didn't get a chance to talk to his younger colleague however as everyone headed out to their positions. Deano sighed and set up everything in the tower and steeled himself for a long day.

Hoppo took Harries aside before his shift started.  
"Mate, I need you to keep an eye on Whippet today." Harries was one of Hoppo's longer-serving lifeguards and Hoppo trusted the man with his life. As boisterous and nonchalant as he seemed, he was actually highly intuitive and pretty much aware of everything that was going on. It made him an excellent lifeguard and an amazing colleague. Harries nodded, looking at Whippet's retreating back. "On it, mate."

Hoppo sighed as he moved back inside, joining Deano in the tower.

The hours flew by and Deano was surprised when the shift had almost ended. He was a bit cranky because even during lunch-break, Whippet hadn't spoken a word or had even looked in Deano's general direction. The kid was obviously upset about something and Deano was willing to bet that it had something to do with last Thursday. He would have to confront Whippet about it after the shift. Now it was almost time, Deano started to feel giddy. What if Whippet was just having an off day and didn't want to be sociable? Whippet was a pretty outgoing bloke but even today he had barely said a word to the other lifeguards.

When they were closing shop, Deano proposed that he would lock up everything. As the rest left the tower, Deano called out to Whippet: "Oi Whip, can you give me a hand with these boxes?" Whippet turned around and trudged back inside. Good, Deano's grand scheme seemed to work. Deano spotted Hoppo looking at him. He nodded at the head-lifeguard, silently notifying Hoppo that he would have a chat with Whippet.

It went silent as Hoppo closed the door, leaving the two men alone. Whippet stacked the boxes filled with medical supplies on top of the cupboard and was about to silently retreat when Deano spoke.

"What's going on, Whip?" he asked, perched on the medical cot. Not too long ago he had been lying on this cot. On hindsight, maybe it was a bad spot to sit here. Perhaps it would aggravate the whole situation. So, as he waited for Whippet's answer he sat down on the stairs.

"Nothing's wrong, mate. I just feel buggered, is all." was Whippet's silent reply.

"Pig's arse!" Deano huffed indignantly. "You've been avoiding me and you haven't said more than five words today." Deano got up and walked closer to the man. "What happened, mate? Please, I am getting worried about you."

Whippet finally looked up and Deano saw two tired blue eyes. But apart from weariness there was also pure frustration apparent. Before Deano could say something, Whippet threw his arms in the air. He started pacing.

Deano watched him pacing like a rabid wolf in a cage. After a few tantalizing minutes, Whippet finally slowed down and sank down on a chair, utterly spent. "You have any idea how bloody hard you scared us? Scared me?" he began, wringing his hands. "I had a suspicious feeling you were unwell but I decided not to confront you about it because you are obviously a smart guy. I mean, how many people with heat exhaustion or heat strokes have been on that cot? I never liked seeing them. People die from heat strokes, Dean! I can't believe you brush it off so lightly. As if nothing's happened! When you collapsed I was already out of my wits. But when you completely passed out and we couldn't rouse you anymore, I was so fucking scared." Whippet jumped up and started pacing again. Deano watched him silently. "They wanted to stick a tube down your throat because they were afraid you would go into respiratory arrest. And if that wasn't bad enough, no one knew to what extent the heat damaged your body. For all we knew, your organs could be shutting down. What if you woke up and you didn't even recognise us anymore! What if you didn't wake up at all…" the last sentence was spoken so softly, Deano had to really pay close attention.

"Heck, I am frustrated that you ignored the symptoms. I am frustrated that you didn't take care of yourself. But most of all, I am mad that I didn't tell you to go back inside. That I didn't call Hoppo to say you were unfit. That you were dying right in front of me and I didn't do anything to stop it! I failed everyone." He sank back on the chair again and cradled his head. "I failed as a lifeguard."

Deano could feel something break inside of him. For his young colleague to harbour such dark and intrusive thoughts, it was no wonder Whippet looked as if he hadn't slept properly for the past three days. He carefully got up from the stairs and walked towards Whippet.  
"Whip…Ryan, look at me." Deano ordered as he crouched in front of Whippet. The man hesitantly obliged. "Good. Now listen to me, ya bloody dipstick. I know I should have taken it easy. Truth be told, I hadn't been feeling like meself the day before. But it was so busy; I didn't want to let you guys down. We were already stretched to the limit and there was simply nothing you could have done. Yes, I have been a complete and utter dipstick myself. Hoppo has chewed me out the entire Saturday afternoon. And you know what, he was right. By endangering me own health, I not only compromised the team but also the safety of the beachgoers. What I did was unforgivable and is a mistake I will vow to never make again." Deano placed a comforting hand on Whippet's shoulder. "You didn't fail. Not in the slightest. Instead of giving you some slack, I made you work overtime. Not only did you have to watch the beachgoers, you also had to keep an eye out for me. And I am sorry I put you through that. I well and truly am. And I don't know how I can ever make it up to you." He squeezed Whippet's shoulder. "You didn't fail me, you saved me. And for that I am ever grateful."

Whippet's tense shoulders seemed to relax a bit.

"And you are a bloody fantastic lifeguard. I will knock ya over the head with a boogie-board if you dare to say shit like that again." Deano growled.

This made Whippet chuckle and for the first time that day, Deano saw the sparkle return in his eyes.

"You saved my life, Whip. You will never fail me or anyone else." Deano got up, offering his hand. Whippet looked at Deano and grabbed the hand, being pulled up by his colleague. "Thank you." Deano said with such sincerity, Whippet felt the exhaustion and stress of the past days completely melt away.

He grabbed Deano in a bone-crushing hug, allowing himself to finally relax. Deano returned the hug and when they stepped apart, ruffled Whippet's hair.  
"Let's go home, yeah?"

Whippet nodded and they both grabbed their bags and turned off the lights in the tower.

As they walked away from the beach, the sun was slowly setting, casting gorgeous red and pink hues on the deep blue sea.  
"Ya know, Deano?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You are a bloody bad teamleader."

"Rack off, bloody nipper."

Einde.


End file.
